Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I love a good opposites attract romance with a hot, funny, wicked cowboy and a straitlaced woman desperate to keep it together. Bethany feels a lot of pressure to prove how perfectly she can make things even when the reality is a different picture. Wes is a trailblazing cowboy who comes to town to take care of his niece after her mother bails. He ends up working with Bethany as she attempts to fix and flip a wrecked house. Their love and hate relationship made for some delicious banter. He learns her quirks and goes out of his way to make her feel at ease. Had my heart melting with how supportive he was of her.
That is until he develops deeper feelings for her that turns a bit possessive and raunchy. It was a bit unexpected since up to that moment he seemed to allow her to take the reins but her insecurities get so out of hand that in order not to lose her he steps up and becomes more demanding. The sex turns raunchy as well and the ending felt like a last act of desperation between two people desperately wanting to make it to work but scared that it might fail.
Overall, the beginning was great but the ending failed to convince me that in fact their love could last.

I have been *obsessed* with Tessa Bailey's Hot & Hammered series since I first read Fix Her Up last year, so when I got approved yesterday to read the 3rd and (final?😭) book in the series, Tools of Engagement, I was ECSTATIC.

Bethany and Wes are complete and total opposites in this hate-to-love story and that is what makes them such a good match. She's the small town equivalent of Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way. He is the new-to-town rodeo cowboy from Texas who was born to run. But when they reluctantly team up on a renovation project the walls they're hiding behind start to come down and they find themselves building more together than just a house.

This book was so good! I did find Bethany to be annoying at times, but that is probably because crazy recognizes crazy. 😂 I'm so sad to see this series ending, but it is ending with a bang!
If you haven't read Fix Her Up and Love Her or Lose Her yet, what are you waiting for?!

Why? I'm so freaking sad that this series is over but Bethany and Wes's story was the perfect way to end this series. Bethany and Wes were like fire and Ice, Total opposites, but meant for each other. The chemistry between these two characters were HAWT!!!! The sweet moments made me swoon, and I definitely want a Wes of my own. This series was so good and despite being sad its over, Im happy I got to read each of these couples stories.

Brr! Bethany Castle’s fashionable look and perfectionist attitude leave her labeled as an ice queen. No one knows that that chilly perfect picture is a veneer. Riddled with anxiety and low confidence, Bethany wants more from her job in the family business, but is shut down when her brother doesn’t support her.

The only one who wants to help is her worst enemy, the new guy in town, a Texan with a perpetual cowboy hat and smirk on his face. A few years younger and with his own baggage (in the form of a five-year-old ward), Wes Daniels finds himself drawn to the Elsa look-alike but soon finds himself falling hard as their rivalry melts away into something even hotter.

While the trope is enemies-to-lovers, the angst level is low and the sweet level is high. The two find common group pretty quickly and the love that inevitably follows is a given rather than a pride-shattering obstacle. This was definitely my favorite book in the Hot & Hammered series and Bethany and Wes are a couple you really root for.

Just finished my free ARC from @netgalley @tessabaileyisanauthor @avonbooks. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for me, romance books are a little out of my comfort zone but this one hit it out of the park. If anyone is a big fan of Chip and Joanna Gaines, you will love this one! Frenemies Wes and Bethany team up to flip a home in Long Island against Bethany’s brother Stephen, and somehow end up on a reality competition show. This one is very steamy, FYI 🔥 #reading #bookstagram #books #book #booklover #bookworm #read #bookish #booknerd #bibliophile #bookaddict #instabook #bookstagrammer #reader #love #booksofinstagram #bookaholic #readersofinstagram #bookshelf #writing #booklove #bookphotography #literature #b #readingtime #library #igreads #bookblogger #instabooks #bhfyp

While I admit that the second book in this series, Love Her or Lose Her, was definitely the steamiest, this one did not disappoint and I stayed up all night to finish it. I also really liked the character development of Bethany, even as I found Wes' guardianship plot line rushed at best. I still can't wait to see what's next from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC!

Tools of Engagement is a classic enemies to lovers romance. It was full of banter and steamy exchanges between an anxious-perfectionist home stager, Bethany, and an overly confident, cowboy constructionist, Wes. The overarching plot consists of these two having to accomplish the goal of a successful house-flip that’ll outshine our leading female’s brother.

This novel was the first Tessa Baily book I’d ever read, and there were some elements I enjoyed. For instance, I was very intrigued about Wes’ character and his backstory. I truly enjoyed scenes from his point of view where we learned more of his background, his sister, and his niece who’d been placed under his care. I believe his character was very strong, although I would have enjoyed his “southern cowboy” personality to be better represented. I had to keep reminding myself he was southern. Having grown up in the south, I would’ve expected at least one or two “aint’s” or “yall’s” to be spoken. This man is supposed to be a bull-riding cowboy from Texas, but the most southern he got was occasionally calling Bethany, “Darlin’.” I would’ve appreciated this aspect of his character been more representative of reality.

When it comes to Bethany’s character, I have to say I did not care very much for her. Her tendency for overthinking was very relatable, but I had a hard time understanding it. I felt that her character could have been given more depth so the readers could understand more on why she grew to be such an insecure and anxious individual, beyond just sibling rivalry for a parent’s attention.

While I cannot deny the steaminess of the novel, I have to admit I felt the romance between Bethany and Wes to be lacking. We can tell Wes cares deeply for Bethany, but I honestly do not understand why. The novel felt more of a story of lust than it did love. The tender moments, when they occurred, were sweet! But those moments were too few and it made the romance between them a bit unbelievable. Had the author toned down the sexual thoughts and added a few more moments of honest vulnerability, it likely would’ve been a better love story. Wes’ possessiveness over Bethany was also very off-putting (and honestly a warning sign if this was real life) for me. It came of as a bit creepy, annoying, and more old-fashioned than I would prefer. This may be a bit more of a personal preference, but I felt it worth mentioning.

Overall, I felt this story has a lot of potential. There were most definitely entertaining moments where I didn’t want to put the novel down, particularly in Wes’ story. However, as a whole I felt it was lacking a decent amount of depth. Depth to the overarching plot, Bethany’s character, and the romance. However, this book will be perfect if you are looking for a quick and steamy read and depth isn’t a major concern.

Another hit in this series! I was looking forward to this story! All I can say is I would want a guy like Wes!
If you have ever dated someone younger than you or if you're thinking about it,this can prove to you that it can work!

This was super cute. The sexual tension between Bethany and Wes made me squeal but the stand out relationship is Wes and his niece Laura. I normally don’t like romance novels where children are involved but I ended up loving Laura and may or may not have cried on several occasions.

The timeline requires some serious suspension of disbelief but hey, it was a fun and heartwarming story so I’m okay with it. I also really enjoyed the depiction and evolution of Bethany’s anxiety. I think Tessa Bailey handles mental health issues pretty well (I haven’t read Love Her or Lose Her but I loved Fix Her Up).

Part of a series, can be read as a standalone. Bethany works for her family real estate company staging houses, but wants to do more, and be taken more seriously. Wes, is on the construction crew. He is in town looking after his niece, and waiting for his sister to return. Bethany and Wes wind up competing against her brother and the family company, on a reality show about flipping houses. Forced to work together, and rely on each other, Bethany & Wes become close. But time is short, and life is also throwing them curveballs. Totally enjoyable read, funny and heartwarming. Definitely will read more by this author.

I've anxiously been awaiting for Wes and Brittany's love story since he walked on to the jobsite. I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers and I was not disappointed. This is by far my favorite of the series and I loved both Fix Her Up and Love Her or Lose Her.

I enjoyed this fun, light, sexy romcom so much that I went back and requested the first two in the series from the library. The main characters started out as quickly sketched archetypes, but their stories deepened as the narrative progressed. The story moved quickly and the resolution was satisfying. Definitely a good choice for a rainy afternoon.

Got a copy of this ebook from net galley. It was very good. Loved the story. People from different social classes, different upbringings and ages come together and fall in love. They quickly move their relationship along to living together to raise his niece. I wish there was more of a relationship besides a lot of sexy times but it is what it is. The only thing that aggravated me was how many times he called her baby. Ugh, find a new word Wes!

I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in this series, and the third did not disappoint! This book tells Bethany's story. Bethany, the perfectionist who handles the interior design and staging for the Castle family flips, decides to prove to everyone that she is capable of handling her own flip. Joining her is Wes, who is seven years younger than Bethany, living in town temporarily to care for his young niece, and constantly arguing with Bethany. Wes was introduced in the second book of the series, and had instant sparks with Bethany. But are they good sparks or bad sparks? Throw in a reality TV show, the complications of a seven year age gap, and lots of personal insecurities, and you have a recipe for a great book!

Like the other books in this series, the romance is steamy, the characters are funny, and the story moves quickly. Great for rom-com fans, and with the love-hate relationship perfect for those who enjoyed Sally Thorne's The Hating Game.

I enjoyed this last book in Tessa Bailey's Hot and Hammered series. I liked the older woman/younger man aspect of the romance. I feel like I don't see that lot in romance books and it was a refreshing change of pace. The kind of HGTV spin was fun as well. I like a good love/hate trope and this one was fun and Bailey is an expert at writing dirty talk. Wes and Bethany had good chemistry and seeing Wes take care of his niece was adorable. I enjoyed this whole series so much!

Wes is a former rodeo bull-rider who hung up his spurs when he was thrust into sudden fatherhood at 23 after his sister bailed on her daughter. Now he's working construction and providing 7 year-old Laura with a stable home, trying to give her the opposite of what he had growing up in foster care. In his limited spare time, he enjoys trading verbal barbs with Bethany, the sexy stager who shows up on all his job sites. Not that she's willing to give him the time of day, obsessed as she is with their age difference. But the stamina of a younger man might be just what he needs to get past her many defenses. Bethany has always had high expectations for herself, and the pressure of always looking like she has it together is starting to take its toll. When she decides to strike out on her own and flip a house solo, the fear of failure threatens to get in her way before she's even started. Luckily, when Wes joins the project and riles her up, she's able to forget all the mistakes she might make and just go for it. Despite her best efforts, she finds herself falling for the young cowboy AND his adorable niece. Will Wes be able to convince her she doesn't need to be perfect for them to be perfect together? Or will Bethany's fear of failing him and their new little family convince her that they're better off without her?

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but the second one was a little bit of a let-down for me. I approached this one with some reservations because I so enjoyed the little glimpses of Bethany and Wes in the previous books, and I really, really wanted to love their story. And I absolutely did. Their antagonistic back-and-forth was hilarious and hot. It's always so fun when couples that think they hate each other discover that they really don't.

There is plenty of humor here, to be sure, as well as banter and swoon and dirty talk, but there are also real issues like the fear that no one really wants you and protecting yourself by never letting anyone get close enough to see the real you. The addition of little Laura provided great comic relief (it cracks me up that she initially thinks Bethany is the real Elsa from Frozen), and watching both Wes and Bethany fear they suck at parenting but totally knock it out of the park because they care so much was so heartwarming!

This was a great finale to a really fun series, but I'm so sad that it has come to an end! Does it really have to? Perhaps one of the other members of the "Just Us League" (the group of women who get together to celebrate each other's accomplishments and help each other through problems) needs her own story? Or one of Wes' many babysitters? Let's Color or Faded Calf Tattoo? Come on....please?

**Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!**

Bethany Castle just wants everything to be perfect. All the time. Is that too much to ask? When Bethany and her brother Stephen go head-to-head in a house-flipping competition, Bethany's perfectionism might just land her in hot water. Luckily, Wes steps in.

Stepping up is what Wes seems to do best: when his half sister asks him to care for Laura, he steps up in a big way, and when he sees Bethany struggling not to panic about flipping a house, he joins her team and vows to help her complete the project.

The two have been trading sarcastic quips for a while, so there's clearly a spark between them. But with the issues and baggage they each carry, can their relationship stick? And can they flip the Doomsday house and win the competition?

I had a great time reading this book, and I would highly recommend it if you enjoy rom-com books with (SPOILER) a happy ending. The part I liked most about this book was how solid Wes was; it was nice that the character freaking out about the relationship and having the most doubts wasn't the foster kid or the man for once. Sure, he had some moments of panic (WHO AMONG US??), but he always came back to the same conclusion: he wanted Bethany and all of her neuroses.

A lot of women will see themselves in Bethany's need to appear perfect even though her anxious thoughts are torturing her constantly. Her progression from needs-therapy-twice-a-week to almost typical functioning was WAY too fast - it might have been nice to throw in a little shout out to the benefits of therapy and acknowledging mental health issues, but I can suspend disbelief in this case.

Also, side note: some authors REALLY struggle with writing realistic child characters, but that was not the case for this book. Laura was the right mix of developmentally appropriate, adorable, and absurd. Kudos to Tessa Bailey.

Tessa Bailey's third book in the Hot and Hammered series, Tools of Engagement, is a steamy enemies to lovers rom-com. The story follows Bethany Castle as she forges her own way in the family house flipping business. Unexpectedly, she finds herself in competition with her bother, Stephen, on a television pilot called "Flip Off"! When she ends up working oh-so-closely with her nemesis, Wes, as her project foreman, Bethany's confronts her own insecurites and hopes that their stubborness and tension won't become a "flipping disaster".

I enjoyed this book. Bethany's character was far more complex than I expected, Wes' character was a welcome mix of sensitive and alpha, and Tessa Bailey could teach a master class in how to write sexual tension. I felt like some of the narrative became repetitive and the ending was a bit rushed, but was left fully satistfied with this third installment in the series.

Advanced readers copy provided by #NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Available September 2020.

This was my first Tessa Bailey book and I started on the 3rd in a series. I didn't feel lost as the author did a good job of recapping the lives of other characters. This was a perfect romance novel, both characters, Wes and Brittany, carried around a lot of baggage but were not so messed up that they couldn't overcome and be in a grownup relationship. I loved Wes! He was an old soul at just 23 and his insight into love and what really mattered allowed him to be an alpha and someone an older woman could lean on and not boss around. The verbal jabs these two had made this fun to read. The characters made this book for me-not necessarily the store of flipping house. I look forward to more books by this author!

TV show about a tense house renovation competition - what a setup for a steamy romance.

Bethany is an organization master, both in her personal life and in her career in home renovation as she works for a family real estate business. The problem is that her brother is officially the"boss" of the company and certainly acts like a big shot, giving Bethany no autonomy to do her thing. One day, their conflict is picked up on by a TV station and the siblings are recruited to a reno competition show... but the only partner Bethany can recruit onto her team is the new guy in town, a very handsome Texan named Wes.

"Tools of Engagement" is a haters-to-lovers, steamy as heck romance with a slight age gap and a younger man. There are some well written sex scenes, but the novel doesn't rely on them as the the most important component. It is funny, it is fierce, it has tension - all great components of a fun romance.

This is the third book in the Hot & Hammered series, but I haven't read the previous two, so for me it was a functional standalone; however, I feel like I didn't entirely get the dynamic between some characters because I didn't know the backstory. That's why I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5. I still thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, though, so I will definitely look into the other two.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.